There are few things that possess such duality in our everyday lives as food: it is a necessity, it is a luxury, there is an overabundance of it, there is a lack of it, it is healthy, it is unhealthy. However, one of the most overlooked aspects of our food is its origins. Questions like where does our food come, how is it made, who produces it, and what impact has it on our environment, are rarely asked or even thought of. Recent years have shown a rise in conscious consumerism and awareness about our meals, however it is still something that is not adapted by many.

This is not the case with Anne Pekelharing. Anne has always been fascinated by food. Since her childhood she has her mind set on food, cooking and creating new dishes. The underlying thought for her has been that food is more than just eating or drinking, it inspires, connects, and drives us forward. From her love for food and desire for adventure Life Cycle Stories was born.

Anne was inspired by the questions we usually do not ask about food. It was essential to approach food as something that has an extensive impact on our everyday lives and our environment rather than something that is always available and possesses limited value. She felt that to understand and witness the journey of our food, it was essential to track it to its origins. However, our meals come in many different forms and from all over the world, so it is imperative to get out and explore the different regions, people, production, traditions, and environment where the food comes from. Life Cycle Stories focuses on sustainable food production and the small, personal stories about the people behind these endeavors.

Life Cycle Stories follows Anne on her journey through Europe, 8 countries in 6 months. It takes courage, discipline, and clear vision to leave your everyday comforts and tasks behind to travel across Europe on your bike. It also takes a special kind of spirit to be concerned enough about a specific problem and acting upon it. This kind of journey does not have to be realized by travelling to distant destinations, it can be achieved by looking up your local food producers. Anne’s adventure is inspirational not only, because she decided to concentrate on different countries in Europe and their specific ways of making food, but also because she is determined to create awareness and shine a light on the issue that is close to her heart. It is about passing on the knowledge that you gained and by doing that having a positive impact on the society and the environment that we live in. Life Cycle Stories is also a story about the people. Inspirational individuals who, like Anne, chose to have a specific mindset when it comes to food. These stories are as much about the people and their culture of producing the food in fair and passionate way. It is an in-depth look of their everyday struggles and successes.

For us Anne and her hosts are an inspiration and we are very much looking forward to the fascinating tales that are Life Cycle Stories. Meanwhile you can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook and lifecyclestories.com

The media industry is always looking for innovation, and highly invested in 3d but with Virtual Reality (VR) a new spectrum is opening up. Until now VR never appealed to the mainstream, it was just for some weird geeks – but that is finally about to change. It appears that in 2015 virtual reality finally starts taking root in mainstream culture. Today the Dutch VR Days start in Amsterdam. Four days long, the Vondel CS building in Amsterdam is transformed into a Virtual Reality playground. To experience it yourself have a look or buy your own glasses at the HEMA for only 15euros and enter the Virtual World . We can state that VR is going to hit the market – and our living room. Strange Days are here!

Some innovative brands already explored what VR can contribute to their marketing.
Patron Tequila invites consumers to virtually step inside the bottling process with “Art of Patron Virtual Experience”. With the VR experience you have the point of view, of a pollinating bee. Flying across flower fields. You experience all the production elements, harvesting, bottling and aging.
Also Peugeot has launched a film-meets-game VR experience. In this VR experience, you make a test drive through the mountains in the South of France, and as if that is not hard enough there is also a dragon hunting you. It’s up to you to drive – and to catch the dragon.

For us as a creative media production company it is important to incorporate this current innovation within our productions. We can’t be more exited about the developments we are making towards our first VR documentary series. And as a pilot VR project we use the worlds first, true adventure documentary; 4 peaks in 4 weeks. In this story you become a team member next to adventurer Noel Hanna in his expedition in the Himalaya’s. To join him summit four of the highest peaks in only four weeks time. While sitting comfortably and warm in your lazy chair.

Imagine; looking around and see huge mountains covered in snow dwarfing you. You can hear the wind coming up, climbing small ledges. On your left, there is an enormous gap of more then 2000meter, you can feel the depth. Stay focused, look carefully where you put your crampons. There is nothing in this world that will be the same after you have witnessed the top of the world! And we can’t wait to give you that unique experience. We expect to launch a Kickstarter campaign early next year for this mind-blowing VR series.

If you could choose a VR experience, what would you like to experience?